THE Law
Association of Zambia (LAZ) has summoned former Finance and National
Planning permanent secretary, Stella Chibanda's lawyers over their conduct in
relation to a court case.

High Court deputy director of court operations
Edward Musona referred lawyers Nicholas Chanda and Edgar Lungu to the LAZ to
examine their conduct after they failed to appear in court to defend their
client without any convincing excuse.

Mr Musona previously warned the
lawyers in the same case for failing to appear in court.

LAZ executive
secretary, Edward Sakala said in a letter to Mr Musona and copied to Mr Chanda
and Lungu that the court proceedings in the matter should proceed pending its
report.

The letter said the legal practitioners committee had sat in
Ndola on June 19 but the matter could not take off due to short notices given to
the respondents' advocates who were unable to attend the
hearings.

Meanwhile, Chibanda yesterday got emotional prompting the court
to adjourn the matter for a few minutes to allow her regain
composure.

This is in a matter in which Chibanda is jointly charged with
former Finance minister Katele Kalumba, former director of budget Boniface
Nonde, former chief economist Bede Mpande, former secretary to the treasury
Benjamin Mweene and Access Financial Services (AFS) directors Faustine Kabwe and
Aaron Chungu.

The seven are facing 21 charges of theft by a public
officer contrary to section 29 (1) of the Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) as read with section 41 of the ACC Act number 42 of
1996.